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QWould I be the only nut to start a graded 83 PSA set

Anyone else ??

Any good advice I am thinking of taking on the task . MY first set/boxes I bought as a kid .
x

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    mikeschmidtmikeschmidt Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭
    Without getting cards on the secondary market at a steep discount to the grading fees -- I think that people who would pay over $5,000 to build this set are extremely limited.

    It is a great set -- but I just don't see the market developing because of the (relatively) high costs of grading. Vending cases from this year still sell in the $1,500 range, and I would rather buy 3 vending cases than have a completely graded set. (With the vending cases yielding approximately 45 sets!)
    I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
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    Just an idea at this point I checked ebay there dosent appear to be any commons so I would be the first nut. Food for thought right now. I still have a hundred Other cards to submit. (waiting for the extra cash) 45 sets does sound nice. But I have multiples of other cards and I preffer to have one gem mint version vs a whole stack of the same card. I think I would do it just for a challenge and zero comp at this point. I found the auction on ebay at 1450.00 for a case. I can buy that and sell of the others and cherry pic what I needed. And think of the Boggs Rookies...........You have my mind thinking now ...But a case and keep the extra Boggs!!!!!! And I have plenty to submit for a bit ( I dont have alot of funds to send at once)
    x
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    mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,130 ✭✭
    Boggs> Sure. . .why not? I'm building an 82F set. I would probably give the following advice-

    1) Don't do it in anything less than PSA9 NQ.
    2) Don't pay more than $5-$7 for each PSA9 - stars included.
    3) Don't submit them yourself until you can absolutely no longer do #2
    4) Don't be in a hurry

    Mike

    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
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    Boggsey,

    Just my humble opinion here, but I think that you would be far better off going for a more marketable set that you could recapture a substantial portion of your investment should, God forbid, require the funds for some emergency, daughter's education, food, rent, or bail (atfter a police raid of the underground midget wrestling contests).

    Please collect whatever you like, but you are talking about a sutstantial outlay in what are essentially common cards.

    Paul
    THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
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    , daughter's education, food, rent


    Paul you just had to mention that didnt you? Seriously the money I spend on cards is what I call extra funds overtime money from work mostly . I would be in it for the fun . And the midgets will get a "smaller" cut for now on !!!


    mcastaldi I checked ebay already I couldnt find any singles of commons. So this might be a major task . I think I will buy a few vending boxes ...pregrade and send in a bunch of "common star cards" and see what happens after that. At least they (83's) arent like other issues the centering decent and I dont see much printers ink on them. And a very few are MC .
    x
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    Boggs.... I think 83 is a great set. I've always liked it. As long as you buy the cards at around market price, and are fairly careful to pick only the very best raw cards to send in, you should be able to break even on the cost, should you decide to sell later. Centering can definitely be an issue. I opened about a half-dozen vending boxes about a year ago. Some were very nice, but some were really off. It is the only set that I have actually managed to hold onto 3 unopened boxes of (1 wax, 1 cello, 1 michigan test). Every now and then I get the urge to go open one, but I've held off so far.
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    acowaacowa Posts: 945 ✭✭
    I like grading as much as anyone...but since I have unopened boxes of 1982 Fleer and 1983 Topps lying around...I would have a hard time spending those $$$ on grading fees instead of cards.


    Boggs, I would just start a 1972 Topps baseball set. Granted, I would be doing it just for the purpose of messing with Mike...but even if Mike wasn't doing the set...it represents a far smarter long term play in my opinion.

    BTW - No...I can't seem to get along with anyone....sorry


    Regards,


    Alan
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    Boggs, as everyone will tell you (and sincerely mean), you should collect what you want. I've had a few 1988-89 Topps Hockey cards graded, simply because I think it is a beautiful set. So if you tell me you want to slab an entire 1983 Topps set in PSA 9, a 1982 Fleer set in PSA 8, or an entire 1988 Donruss set in PSA 7 (ST) (except for the Kurt Manwaring rookie, which I'm sure you will want upgraded to a PSA 8 (PD)), I say God speed . . . but yes, you are a nut to do it.
    image
    POTD = 09/03/2003
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    acowaacowa Posts: 945 ✭✭
    Boggs,

    Actually, you're a nut either way...so you've got nothing to loseimage
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    qualitycardsqualitycards Posts: 2,811 ✭✭✭
    ACOWA - Hey! Were all collecting & buying (& sometimes trading & selling) our own pieces of cardboard with various years & players imprinted on them, So I guess we are all nuts! image....Try explaining the money we spend on graded cards to a non-collector, he'll be calling Bellevue in the morning, this hobby/business doesn't really make sense, but who cares...My advice to other collectors for 15 years have been "Buy what you like & what you can afford!" That should say it all...jay
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    calleochocalleocho Posts: 1,569 ✭✭
    im doing a 1992 bowman set and absolutely love it! however im not sure how much economic sense it makes right now. right now i am at a point where i can still get psa 9's on ebay for a good price. but i have been watching this set closely and im pretty sure that i could only find maybe 70 cards top graded on ebay. which would be around 10 % of my set. i then would have to decide wether to send or start another set. but somehow spending 5000 grand to grade a modern set just doesnt sound like fun to me. Ethan
    "Women should be obscene and not heard. "
    Groucho Marx
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    The 1983 Topps set was the last year I bought cards as I child and they still have great sentimental value to me. I also think that it is the most beautiful Topps set of the 1980's and certainly has one of the best rookie card lineups of the decade. Because of these reasons, I have been contemplating building the set in 9 NQ or higher. Like the others, I think that anyone who builds a graded set after 1975 (and an argument could be made for cards after 1972) is doing it as a labor of love and not for investment purposes. Because of the volume of unopened material, these cards will NEVER increase in value the way that the earlier material will. In fact, as the population numbers increase, you will probably see them decrease in value from what they would bring in an auction today. Unlike many of the posts, however, I don't think that you will loose a great deal (if anything) if you decided to slab the set. If you look at prices for PSA 9 graded commons from 1978 through 1980 they have been selling for between $15 and $35. Also, stars (not the rookies) from the 1983 set have been easily bringing from $15 to $40. While I would expect these prices to drop as the initial zealous collectors obtain their cards, I have a difficult time believing that there will not be someone willing to buy 9 NQ cards in this set for around $6. Combine this with the fact that you will probably receive some 10's from your own submissions, and you will probably break even if you don't have to have all your money quickly.

    I have taken an "in between" approach and have graded only the stars from my set that I knew would be a 9 or higher. I do want to have my entire set in MINT condition (and most of it already is), but have decided to grade only the stars until such time as I have my other sets completed. I have submitted 22 cards from my 1983 set and have received 7-PSA 10's and the balance 9's. I plan to buy a vending case in the future to make sure I have the highest quality cards in my set and sell the extras in sets to help recover some of my cost. I will then submit the balance of the star cards that I think are at least 9 MINT quality. From there I can choose to have the commons graded at a later time based upon demand or if I have money burning a hole in my pocket.

    I would encourage you to build what you like. Just keep in mind that this set is not something you would make big bucks on or be able to turn quickly in the event you needed cash.
    Looking for 1975, 1978, and 1979 Topps Baseball in high end PSA 9 and PSA 10.
    ______________________________________
    The best presents in life are the ones you give yourself!
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    $5-$7 for 9's including the stars??? I hope that only applys to 1983. I don't know about you people but for 1977 that is utterly impossible. To pay basically $7 even in bulk(grading and S&H), and sell a star for $5?? Not possible. If it's possible give me a dealer's name who would do such a moronic thing and I will clean him out right now. 1977 Topps A)unopened material is far from abundant. B)These cards are 90% of the time not going to get a 9 even out of packs, vending etc, etc C)Out of just over 4200 submitted, only 1 Gem 10 is available. (I still want to see it). Less then 500 9's exist. If anyone has PSA 9 Topps I will give you $10 each right now, even if you have 1000 of them. They ALWAYS grab more than $10 on ebay, absolutely always. Money is not the problem on 77 for me, but locating anything is next to impossible in 9's. I mean true 9's are just not out there. I bought 3 from a very reputable dealer and only 1 deserves a 9 grade. The 9's are so close to 8's it's is really odd. A 9 of Eckersley is up now with over 8 days to go and it's already up to $26.49!! $5-$7 dollars I cannot believe it, where??? I will pay top dollar, just tell me where. Some cards from 1977 Topps closed lately(within past month) on ebay:

    Nolan Ryan PSA 8 $39.03
    Reds team PSA 8 $23.55
    Murphy RC PSA 9 $202.50 (low of late)
    Rose PSA 7 $16.50 (for a 7????)
    Murphy PSA 8 $45.00
    Red Sox team PSA 8 $25.01 (for a team card????)
    Fisk PSA 8 $17.52
    Ryan PSA 8 $34.00
    Munson PSA 9 $182.49 (almost $200 for munson??? do you see a pattern?)
    Brett PSA 9 $157.51 (low of late)
    Winfield PSA 9 $51.22
    Nettles PSA 8 $113.50 (thats right for an 8!!!!)
    Dawson RC PSA 8 $57.00
    Ryan PSA 7 $14.76

    Commons avg for 9's $15 for 8's $7 for 7's $4

    This set is a real pain in the butt!!!!!!! I cannot believe how hard it is to find good submittable material for this set. It is borderline impossible to complete this set 9 or better. I think I should move to "any" grade will do yet again. Any suggestions on how to further get good cards from 1977 Topps???
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    Boggs,

    The 1983 Topps set ie on the set registry request list, so unless you requested it, someone else is probably trying to build the set in graded form.

    You should collect what you like, if that is the set you want to build, go for it.
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    mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,130 ✭✭
    Kurt> Those numbers are what I've typically been paying for 82F in PSA9. Obviously, the Ripken and Ryan are more but that's a baseline I used for setting a ballpark for 83T.

    Now. . .anything late 70s is a TOTALLY different animal. There were five 1979T PSA9 commons that all went for above $17 each.

    And 82F is much more comparable in the dynamics than are any of the late 70s issues.

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
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    Ok 82F, now I follow. I should have started my 77's 5 years ago, maybe I could of hit 82F pricing??? Probably not I know, just dreaming.......
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    Yes Boggs, you are crazy. Go seek therapy immediately. But be sure to explain the finer details of graded cards to your therapist because he/she will become addicted to building graded sets after your through with him/her! image
    Please visit my eBay auctions at gemint
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    The 1977 Topps 9's are bringing at least $15. The two commons I've won were for that price and I bid on a larger group a few weeks back that brought $20 per common with some team cards as high as $50. The unopened stuff seems to be impossible to find right now. Dave & Adam's no longer have their box for sale. I also don't know if it's due to popularity but as Kurt said only 4000 or so have been graded while over 10000 78's have been slabbed. I hope this set picks up in the future and more cards get graded or the unopened material pops up so I can get my hands on some.

    Kurt, btw I'm the crazy guy bidding on the Eck.

    Adam
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    I started therapy....that will cut into the vending boxes I need to buy though. So I will buy a few in the coming weeks. Sort of pick and send off a group of stars I think that will grade 10's and solid 9's, so if I change my mind I can recoupe the loss. Boggs and Gywnn Rookies a 10 would help pay for a few grading fee's especialy a gywnn. I would sell it and hope for another.Hopefully by the end of the year I will have a Boggs set or 83 topps on the registry. Thanks for the advice I am going to follow some of it. Any one has any psa 9's to sell of commons let me know or a vending box. Or mint commons for a good price drop a line. We can do business in the future....Thanks it is time for my first appt...
    x
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    Boggsey,

    be sure that when you show up for your therapy, have them increase the voltage for the shock treatment.
    THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
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    Wh wh wha why ? I think it is ffffine now. Sorry After affectsssss
    x
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    Boggsy,

    I am sure in time there will be plenty of "nuts" building sets similar to your pursuit. Yours truly included. Its the nature of the beast. It's easy to fall for a particular issue. The sense of it all can often be over ridden by the fun of it all. It just happens that it's a PSA graded set pursuit and the investment is costly. I'd be the last guy to criticize this effort. Have fun first and foremost!

    RayB69Topps and others.
    Never met a Vintage card I didn't like!
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    A while ago, I brought up the idea of an 81/82 OPC PSA hockey set on this board. No, you're not completely nuts for thinking about it,...there are other crazy people out there to join you in the joys of 80's set collecting image

    Finding mint commons from the early 80's OPC hockey sets would be much tougher than any comparable Topps set. You've got to be really good at pre-grading, unless you want to put 7's and 8's on Ebay with an opening bid of 99 cents. Spending a couple thousand on grading fees for cards that have no readily available market might make you think twice. But whatever you want to have fun at, go do it. I'd rather spend a few grand on a great unopened box, like 71/72 Topps Hockey or PSA 9 star cards from 70's Topps basketball.

    The 81/82 OPC set will remain on the drawing board.
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